Small-Town America...in Nebraska? (Chadron, Valentine: home, luxury, live)

[Gunluvver2]

stotan88,
One of my favorite authors is Ken Haruf. PLAINSONG and several others he has written are set in the fictitious Colorado town of Norka. Ken graduated from High School in Yuma, Colorado, which is a small town a few miles East of Akron. Norka spelled backwards. I love his stories about these small rural communities and since I grew up in Yuma County I can identify with a lot of the characters in his novels. I think Ken graduated from Yuma in 1962 and I graduated from Wray in 1964. I don't recall ever meeting Ken during my High School years but I am sure we have friends in common. Someday I hope to meet him and ask him a few questions.

Good luck with your novel but I wouldn't worry about getting all of your facts correct. Just label your story as fiction and write it the way you see it. To quote a famous line from the old TV series, THE NAKED CITY, " This is New York City. There are eight million stories in New York City!"

Everyone has a point of view. A good writer can show the point of view of several characters in his story. Aren't contrasting points of view and beliefs what makes our country such an exciting place to live? Just think how boring life would be if you were surrounded by people who thought like you, talked like you, looked like you etc.

Good luck,
GL2

[stotan88]

Originally Posted by Gunluvver2

stotan88,
One of my favorite authors is Ken Haruf. PLAINSONG and several others he has written are set in the fictitious Colorado town of Norka. Ken graduated from High School in Yuma, Colorado, which is a small town a few miles East of Akron. Norka spelled backwards. I love his stories about these small rural communities and since I grew up in Yuma County I can identify with a lot of the characters in his novels. I think Ken graduated from Yuma in 1962 and I graduated from Wray in 1964. I don't recall ever meeting Ken during my High School years but I am sure we have friends in common. Someday I hope to meet him and ask him a few questions.

Good luck with your novel but I wouldn't worry about getting all of your facts correct. Just label your story as fiction and write it the way you see it. To quote a famous line from the old TV series, THE NAKED CITY, " This is New York City. There are eight million stories in New York City!"

Everyone has a point of view. A good writer can show the point of view of several characters in his story. Aren't contrasting points of view and beliefs what makes our country such an exciting place to live? Just think how boring life would be if you were surrounded by people who thought like you, talked like you, looked like you etc.

Good luck,
GL2

thank you. i can totally see where one is coming from where they don't want the image of their town to be misinterpreted or misinformed. I totally understand. And I will not be doing so, however there will be antagonists; there has to be for a story to be a story. I was just concerned that if i was to show the proposal to the chamber of commerce or whatever that they would, like Sandhills Guru, not take it well. I never meant to cause all of this, but I was just curious as to what a town like that may think.

All because there may be a few "bad apples" from a particular town doesn't mean that, in real life, that town is that way, and shouldn't be interpreted that way, and won't be. It's a story, a tale, and as Sandhills Guru so adamantly stated, its fiction. And because it is fiction, the characters are also fiction. However, good fiction requires realism, and thats why I felt the real town name would be helpful, just to sort of ground the story into reality, so that the readers can clearly place their imaginations on our own world map.

Anyways, moving on, thanks again

[Dave1215]

Originally Posted by stotan88

thank you. i can totally see where one is coming from where they don't want the image of their town to be misinterpreted or misinformed. I totally understand. And I will not be doing so, however there will be antagonists; there has to be for a story to be a story. I was just concerned that if i was to show the proposal to the chamber of commerce or whatever that they would, like Sandhills Guru, not take it well. I never meant to cause all of this, but I was just curious as to what a town like that may think.

All because there may be a few "bad apples" from a particular town doesn't mean that, in real life, that town is that way, and shouldn't be interpreted that way, and won't be. It's a story, a tale, and as Sandhills Guru so adamantly stated, its fiction. And because it is fiction, the characters are also fiction. However, good fiction requires realism, and thats why I felt the real town name would be helpful, just to sort of ground the story into reality, so that the readers can clearly place their imaginations on our own world map.

Anyways, moving on, thanks again

Through all of your threads I have been impressed how articulate you are as a 19 year old (coming from a father of teens).

[bobtaildog]

As someone from the deep south that spends a couple of weeks a year in the Bassett area, I can tell you it is absolutely a wonderful town. The ranchers and the townspeople are some of the finest people I've had the priviledge of knowing. They are hardworking people living in what I consider to be some of the most beautiful country in America.

[aerahrtlu]

I say good luck on your book. Honestly, when you finish it, I wouldn't mind reading it.
Why not name the state, name the area, but not the certain town? Make the town up, but make sure the reader knows that it's in NE Nebraska or where ever. That way the reader can picture the area but everyone is happy?
It honestly sounds like a good book, and you are smart to do your research.

Good luck!!!

[stotan88]

Originally Posted by aerahrtlu

I say good luck on your book. Honestly, when you finish it, I wouldn't mind reading it.
Why not name the state, name the area, but not the certain town? Make the town up, but make sure the reader knows that it's in NE Nebraska or where ever. That way the reader can picture the area but everyone is happy?
It honestly sounds like a good book, and you are smart to do your research.

Good luck!!!

you're probably right, aerahrtlu. i'm reading a book now called "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" (amazing book btw) and the author uses a town called "Millen" and I don't think it exists (or at least doesn't come up on Google Maps or MapQuest). Perhaps I will, but I also don't want to do that just to cover up my trail you know? I'm hoping to base the town off of Bassett, but would it be worse if certain people found a similarity between Bassett and this made-up town? Would it be worse to know that I simply covered it up rather than for a specific situation?

I'll have to do some thinking about all this...

thank you

[Sandhills Guru]

Lots of advice on here, some good some not, but its all an opinion.

One Experts advice

Another

Somewhat along the line I am disgusted with (broken link)

You know why I am upset about your intended writing. Maybe instead of looking here for advice on using real names (people, places, towns, or whatever) you should be looking towards people with experience on it.

[stotan88]

Well whether i use a real town name or not, it is still going to be based on a real town. The whole reason i started doing research for a specific town was for a base of what a real town would be like. I could use traits from different towns and create a "new" town, but it seems more authentic if a town's traits were connected more. Hard to explain lol :S

[stotan88]

I was talking with the parents of one of my friends and they told me their daughter did something called "woofing". Has anyone heard of it or have any information about it? Basically, from what I gathered, you volunteer on a farm anywhere (in the world?) for room and board. Basically its for the experience while, at the same time, helping a farm family with chores and whatnot.

I thought this might be a good idea, if I could find a farm in Nebraska and experience it that way. What do you think?

[Go Ne]

Thats sounds good, should work well, I think you'll like farm life, I really do.